498 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 4. 1886. 



RIGS FOR THE BARNEGAT CRUISER. 



AFTER thorouehly testing the Barnefrat sneakbox with her risr of 

 a balance lug sail, I found in going to Fernandina m a blow that 

 she steered very hard, and when close-hauled did not do what stie 

 ought in going through the water, and on my return to Jacksonville 

 I made a rude jib of very light sheeting and rigged a rough bowsprit 

 out toward, leaving the mainsail as it formerly was, part forward of 

 the mast. Made a trial of this and saw an immediate improvement. 

 T then estimated the amount of cloth I would need in a jib with the 

 mainsail set entirely abaft the mast with a regular boom and gafC. 

 1 made neat little jaws for each, rigged throat and peak hal'iard in 

 one and had a nice well-sitting jib of proper dimensions made from 

 drilling, and then setup everything in ship-shape order. The effect 

 was astonishing, instead of crabbing off to leeward with a big pocket 

 (all aback) forward of the mast, the Peti'el now slides up tOTvindward 

 like a Snake. I have everything rigged very handy now, and can 

 house the jibboom in a second without any trouble at all. My 

 mainsail sits beautifully, and I am much pleased with the very great 

 improvements in the Petrel's sailing quaUties. I made the suggestion 

 to rig her this way when she was bemg built, but objections were 

 raised and I did notinsist, knowing that I could soon make the change 

 to suit myself. The little Petrel elicits much admiration by her snug 

 appearance and trim "sea going" looks. 



Two of us have been living on board for two weeks— cooking, eat- 

 ing and sleepin.g. I hope to send for publication soon, diagrams and 

 all detail information regarding my cruising outfit, which I consider 

 very complete and which I trust may do the cause some little good. 



Petrel. 



[Those who have lately tried the balance lug as fitted to the Bar- 

 negat cruiser make the same complaint as Petrel as to the defective 

 balance and failure of the sail to sit flat. No such difficulty has oc- 

 curred with canoes and much larger boats on which the balance lug is 

 successfully used, and before condemning a sail that has so many ad- 

 vantages it would be well to test it thoroughly. We hope when the 

 weather permits, to put a large balance lug. rigged as for a canoe, on a 

 sneakbox and to ascertain the source of the trouble which others 

 have experiencedj 



WIDE AND NARROW CANOES. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



Allow^ me to say to ''Class B Canoe" and others, that the present 

 discussion of beam versus crankiness was commenced by my assert- 

 ing that "the canoe as now limited in beam is neither safe, handy nor 

 comfortable for sailing purposes." 



This statement was made advisedly. It is nothing more nor less 

 than the truth, and is known to be such by every slulled amateur 

 sailer of small boats. However, "Class B"' accuses me of "dodging" 



Questions, dealing in "generalities," etc. In reply I will remark that 

 never could reply seriously to foolish queries, but will add, "return- 

 ing to otir sheeps, "that no boat, be she canoe, sharpie, sneakbox, or 

 ■what not, can be either safe, handy or comfortable with a lengtli of 

 15ft., beam 31in., and carrying say iTS to 21.5 sq. ft. of sail, on a draft 

 of fiin. of water. 



The fact that certain little craft are forced to cruise about 

 under such circmnstances certainly does not prove them to be safe, 

 and in truth they can not be made to stand up at all in a breeze with- 

 out constant watching and the most skiUful handling. Their dimen- 

 sicns answer the questions at issue, and an intelligent boatman need 

 never have seen one of these little racing machines lo decide the mat- 

 ter without hesitation, If my instructive remarks have chanced to 

 burst somebody's bubble, why I suppose he will have to blow another. 



Now, my friends, let us clearly understand this question. I do not 

 propose or desire that you give up your cherished and pretty littie 

 bath tubs, for if you do so, many an amusing account of capsizing 

 and ducking would be missed. I merely suggest that those who pre- 

 fer wider and better sailing causes may be permitted to own and 

 sail them as a separate and recognized class in the A. C. A. To one, 

 who. like myself, has time and again cruised entirely alone in a 43ft. 

 sharpie, it seems amusing indeed to hear a man say seriously that any 

 little lOf t. canoe requires two men to handle her. Just pause and re- 

 flect how damaging to your cause is such an admission. Why, the 

 double ender I am now building, 15ft in length, and to carry some 

 2]5sq. ft. of cloth, can readily be handled by a boating boy twelve 

 years old. 



A word with "Class B Canoe" in regard to certain unkind 

 remarks of his concernmg my httle sharpie's race with "Guenn" and, 

 enough said. He speaks of mv sharpie as a "large sail boat, with 

 racing sail, beating a jtu'y -rigged canoe in little more than a drifting 

 match. Well, it may have been drifting 'as to the canoe, but my 

 sharpie (which, by the way, is a small 15ft. saiP boat) managed to 

 easily steni a strong tide, and imder those circum.stances sailed to 

 windward at the r ate of five miles per hour. As to her "racing sail," 

 it is the same that I have since used on her without reefing in heavy 

 weather while duck shooting alone on Longlsland Sotmd. If "Guenn" 

 carried a ".i'.^ry rig." why did he do so? The match was of his own 

 making, and I informed him in advance that my sail was lai-ge. If he 

 underrated the sharpie he only made the same mistake that mayhap 

 "Class B Canoe" and "L.," etc. are perchance now making as regards 

 ' the "common sense canoe." Thomas Clapham. 



EosLTN, L. I., Jan, 1, 1886. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



•Katrina," in your issue of Dec. 31, asks a fair question that should 

 in all courtesy be ans wered . It is in regard to the canoes I referred to 

 in "Longsha'nk's" list. As between the two canoes, I think Day 

 Dream would be benefitted by getting into a class away from the 

 Dido. This is simply an Individ ual opinion, and must be taken as 

 such, for opinions differ, you know. As to the other canoes he men- 

 tions—Sea Bee and Inertia— I know nothing personally, further than 

 having seen them in use. How was I to know they were "tmns" 

 when the dimensions given were not the same, especially as you 

 know in canoe classification fractions of an inch count as muen as 

 feet in larger "yachts"? "Katriua" also says that I have given him 

 the credit of being narrow minded. I think not. I don't like person- 

 ahties brought into a friendly chat, and if my memory serves, the 

 expression used was "narrow" minded— simply a reference to the 

 "narrow" canoe views so ably championed by himself and others as 

 against the "wider" canoe ideas. 



I am afraid "Katrma" must have some "bricks" at disposal, for 

 certainly a big one fell over this way when he says "especially such 

 cool assumptions as that of the weight of a 42in. boat being no greater 

 than one of SOin. beam." The assumption in this case lies with 

 "Katrina," I think if he will take the trouble to look over his file 

 again he will find this: "and I also think that it would not take any 

 more men to handle her than it would to handle a canoe of same 

 weight " I see no reference here to 30ln. canoe or 42in. canoe or any 

 other size. I am perfectly willing to father anything that I may 

 say or write, but I confess 1 don't care to be responsible for another's 

 inferences or assumptions. If I remember correctly the beUef I put 

 forward was in reply to a question put by "A. C. A.," which was in 

 reference to handling the larger canoe in transportation. The average 

 canoe of to-day as usually packed, "chuck full," hatches down and 

 locked, will weigh anywhere from 150 to 200 pounds— a light estimate 

 that, too. The larger boat, as suggested, with fittings, masts, sails, 

 etc., I don't think will weigh any more, quarter mastei 's and commis- 

 sary's stores not included in this last, and taking them weight for 

 weight, it will take as many hands to handle the one as the other. 



Personally "Katrina" admits in answer to question one that, "there 

 is no objection in their proper place"— referring to the larger canoe 

 or rath sr wider canoe, for as yet I have heard no suggestion to in- 

 crease the length limit. The second question simply resolves itself 

 into, why not make a proper place for ohem within the A. C. A. circle? 

 That is all. On my part, there is no favoring this man's model or 

 that man's model. What I was getting at was this— the objectibn to 

 enlarging the present limit so as to take the wider canoes— a distinc- 

 tive class of sailing craft. 



Every one ha? individual preferences. This is so in canoeing as la 

 everything else. One man prefers a small paddhng canoe, another's 

 choice falls on the comely class B canoe, and still another might 

 prefer one stiU larger for his own particular purpose. Good A. C. A. 

 men all, and yet the latter receives no encoucagement, except to go 

 and join some single-handed cruismg club. Is this generous? Now 

 I have no personal interest other than the interest of fair play. Per- 

 haps I may be all wrong m my view of the matter, but I fail to see 

 why tlie paddling canoeist, the general a'l-around canoeist and the 

 saihng canoeist could not dweU together in unity the same as the 

 two former do now. . . „ , 



Lest I should be misunderstood, no thought is further from my 

 mind than crying down the present canoe as unfit for its purpose. I 

 also wish to be understood as not crying up the wider canoe at the 

 expense of the narrow. So, no keelhauling for either of these 

 offenses, if you please. 



I do think, however, that there are virtues in the wider canoe that 

 might make it preferable for some to use her; thai^ those who do pre- 

 fer the wider canoe may be true canoeists at heart, and valuable 

 acquisitions to the A. C. A. ; that no harm would arise from sush 

 additions from the rolls; that none of the present classes would be 

 Injured by adding another class to take in these wider canoes— sail- 

 ing canoes distinctively; that without compromising any present 

 interest it comM be done, and the A. C. A. circle of good will, good 

 fellowship and good canoeists extended considerably. 



This is my personal platform on the question. It contains no 

 "Whereas" and no set of resolutions. I have tried to be plain and 

 trust to be understood. As to which is the better boat that is another 

 question entirely, and one, too, that can hardly be settled satisfac- 

 torily by the most protracted discussion. Both the narrow and wide 



THE BARNEGAT CRUISER. 



have their good points and both have their faults. What one person 

 would look upon with favor, another might think a serious fault. To 

 my mind the question of size and model is controlled toa considerable 

 extentby the waters to be sailed on; second, by the purposes for 

 which the boat is to be used. And both of these considerations are 

 wiped out and thrown aside by the canonist's own sweet will. 

 Fair play all around and no favor is all that is suggested by Hal. 



A CHAT ON SOME CHANCE TOPICS. 



ON the evening of .Tan. 6 a one-horse wagon slowly entered the 

 pretty village of Toms River. A new sneakbox rested between 

 the "bolsters," and as nearly every boy above twelve years old in 

 this nautical locaUty can sail a "box," much interest was immediately 

 manifested in the little white boat. The oldest sneakbox builder in 

 Ocean county and his assistant walked beside the horse, and, with a 

 switch in his hand touched up the weary animal. The party had 

 traveled since daylight — twenty-two milts from the southern end of 

 Ocean county. The men and horse were to return home during the 

 nia-ht. 



As the "box" was consigned to the- commodore of the "American 

 Single-Hand Cruising Club," it soon leaked out that this craft was the 

 fast sneakbox ordered by the building committee of the A. S. H. C. C. 

 two months ago. By the time the boat had reachea the Commodore's 

 house, on the left bank of the river, inside the town limits, an inter- 

 ested crowd of sneakbox men and yacht owners had gathered to 

 welcome the little stranger. All present expressed strong approval 

 of the possibilities concentrated in the 14ft. of length and 54in . of 

 beam measurements in the well developed huU. The boat was placed 

 beside the water and Mr. Chamberlain, the professional tester of 

 sneakboxes and Barnegat cruiser ■( for the club, promised to rig the 

 boat early on the following morning, ard if the wind blew a gale on 

 that day he would "make her sides ache" before night. 



This is the first sneakbox of the pure type that has been built for 

 speed only on t'lis part of the coast. The sails, jib and mainsail, 

 have been completed for some weeks in anticipation of the trial of 

 the craft. Another set of larger sails are being made for the purpose 

 of proving tne extreme limit of sail area which can be carried by 

 this type of boat. . _ 



The improved type of sneakbox, called by Mr. N. H. Bishop the 

 Barnegat cruiser, is built for comfort and safety, and he will not 

 allow the club's builders to sacrifice the best cruising qualities of 

 these staunch craft for racing purposes. He has, however, made 

 contracts with two builders to develop a fast model of the sneakbox, 

 and as soon as the winter tests, which are to be made with the craft 

 just received from the builder, have proved her virtues and faults, six 

 14ft. fast sneakboxes are to be built. 



Mr. Bishop has one builder in Burlington county. New Jersey, pre- 

 paring working plans for two 16Et. Barnegat cruisers and one racing 

 sneakbox of same length. AU these boats are to be finished and put 

 into the waters of Barnegat Bay as soon as the ice is out of the bay. 

 South of the Toms River estuary Barnegat Bay is usually free of ice 

 by the middle of March. 



The rough weather tests of the able httle craft belonging to the 

 American Single-Hand Cruising Club can be made with more dis- 

 patch in the earl v spring months, durinir which s'^ason three days 

 out of every week are boisterous enough for exhaustive trials. As 

 the FoBBST AND Stream has made noble efforts to separate the chaff 

 from the wheat, the sham article from the genuine, in all matters 

 relating to honest boat and yacht building, the members of our ama- 

 teur clubs now cruising on distant southern wai;ers will cheerfully 

 cooperate in promoting this great and important work. We regret 

 that om- former friend, counselor and teacher in safe sailing and 

 honest seamanship should have been beguiled into "cooting" in an 

 imgainly catboat. As we read in the Forest and Stbeam of his many 

 trials, and even sufferings, while "cooting" southward in that big, 

 unmanageable catboat, now going about the wrong way, now an- 

 choring itself on a mud flat, left there by an ebbing tide when he 

 might have been cruising like a sailorman in a deep cutter off 

 llatteras, where the water is deep— and all this suffering from the 

 stern fact that cutter owners wUl not sell their priz;ed craft and cat- 

 men will all sell out at 50 per cent, discounc. When all this horrible 

 picture is spread before our shoal-draft eyas the deepest sympa- 

 thy takes possession of our hearts. When we fully realize that our 

 brave leader has thus been imposed upon by the owner of that un- 

 fortunate cat, and his voyage of contemplated joys is proving gall 

 and wormwood -with tears in our eyes we implore him to sell out 

 upon his arrival at anv port inhabited by men of feline ta-stes. 



Coot" contemplated going over my old cruising ground, I would have 

 insisted upon his accepting my best Barnegat criuser. He then 

 might haul up on shore at night, or sleep at anchor with the hatch 

 tent set over his decks, as George E. Andi-ews is now doing in the 

 Barnegat cruiser Petrel in Florida. With hght, strong oars the 

 cruiser could have been rowed under the Brooklyn Bridge, and its 

 occupant could have shaken hands with the hermit of Marmalade 

 Lodge that same night instead of anchoring with a Chester anchor 

 in soft mud bottom at the Navy Yard, and in the route of tacking 

 coasters. The author of the "Cruise of the Coot" will pj-ove, how- 

 ever, how unhandy and time-wasting a cruiser is a heavy catboat, too 

 large to be easily rowed out of calms and ebbing tides, and too deep 

 with all her flat floor to cruise in Florida waters. In cruising, first 

 comes the light, easUy paddled canoe. In its peculiar field nothing 

 can take its place. Second- the small, beamy, light draft sneakbox, 

 which can be sailed wetland rowed easily. On this craft hve ; it is 

 your home, with all the kits, tents, guns and duffle you choose to 

 carry It is portaole. One horse can haul a 1(5 footer at same ex- 

 pense as a canoe. , ..^ ^ i. -i i 

 Now, oh cruiser, stop! do not run into extremes. Do not build 

 your sneakbox longer and heavier than you can row it with ease. 

 Remember the "bone of discord" we canoeists have been trying to 

 swallow. Remember that we have tried to build a yacht to be called 

 a canoe: and having built ib and having found it too heavy for the 

 paddle, we have raised in our peaceful fraternity the question, a sore 

 one- "Is this abnormal canoe, a canoe at all at all?" When your 



sneakbox or Barnegat ciniiser cannot be propelled by oai-s easily, 

 stop there, and draw your line of limit as to length and weight of 

 model. But you say, "I wish to cruise with companions in shoal and 

 in deep waters. I must have somethina: as comfoi cable as a scow 

 or canal boat, yet this something of a craft needed must go to wind- 

 ward. A scow or canal boat; will not do.'' Then go to I\lr. Olapham. 

 Instead of abusing that gentleman (an<l he is a gentleman, every inch 

 of him) visit him at Roslyn, I,. I. Though a reacher in yaehttng mat- 

 ters, he is open to conviction. He Is a learner as well as instructor. 

 You do not know that this educated gentleman, who has lately 

 adopted his new profession of boatbuilding, has been an ejtperienced 

 amateur of wealth, has owned some very fast boats; has gone boldly 

 to sea in his shoal draft craft, i.s working uut at his own expense,;one 

 of the problems which costs money and weary brain-work— the de. 

 velopmeut of a hght draft, comforiable, home-like boat, adapted to 

 the constantly I cnanging depths of our seaboard interior water 

 courses. 



When we differ from another worker in our chosen field, let us not 

 waste the precious space of Forest AN'D Stream by "going for that 

 fellow'' with printer's ink. Lef us rather put our hands in our pock- 

 ets buy a radi'oad ticket, and "go for that tellaw. ' meet him face lo 

 face, examine the work in his shop, Let hiai explain all his ''wheels 

 within wheels." We will return home wiser and happier men, 

 There is nothing like personal contact. When you write your next 

 article for our medium of friendly fellowship, its tone will be friend- 

 ly and you will praise the efforts your fellow is making, to promote 

 the healthy and manly j)astime of boating. Let us, fellow cruisers, 

 work in harmony. Remember what Commodore Longworrh said to 

 the twenty-three canoeists g ith°red in the first cauip of the A. 0. A. 

 "We have^ organized the American Cmioe Assnciation, it is to be a 

 brotherhood. If any man here has any complaint to make let him 

 free his mind now; after this there is to hen'! faultfinding. Wehave 

 smoked the piijc of peace. Let ns work for the true interests of can- 

 oeing." Should not thebe wocd.s of peace apply to (he one great 

 brothei-hood enrolled on the subscription list o£ Forest and Stream? 

 We belong to many clubs, but there is one flag that floats over ns all, 

 and that is Forest and Stream. Skipper , 



BIOHICAN C. C. ANNUAL MEETING.— At half past eight on Jan. 

 4, fifteen Turtles met at the residence of Coramodcre R S t)Uver, 42 

 Willet street, to consider the annual reports of their rfllcers for the 

 year just elapsed, Captain Thatcher in the chair. Ihe club is in a 

 fairly flourishing condition, having twcnry-eitrht members with 

 twenty- three canoes, owning one club canoe and the finances in good 

 shape. The official business of the evening wa< the election of club 

 officers for 18S6, which resulted in 15 votes for R S- OUver as cap- 

 tain, 1.3 for H. R. Pierson, .Jr., and one for R. W. Gibson as mate, 14 

 for B. Fernow and 1 for R, W. Gibson, as secretary, 10 for W. H. 

 Brown and 6 for H. Ciishman as purser, and 15 tor H. L, Thomas as 

 member of the executive cominittec. Messrs W. Haiie;i Powell and 

 E. B. Tredwen, the English canoeists, expected for 'he 1886 meet, 

 were el acted, honorary members. R. Giusou produced a drawing 

 of his nevvlv to-be built canoe, with which he intends to contest for 

 the Cup against the visitors. The lines of this new cr.ifc met with 

 general approval, An equally enthusiastic applause was accorded to 

 a brown pa.ddler named I'urkey, who tried to float on a hquid com- 

 monly called cercvisia. but he'hail evideutlj- fort'Otteii the old saying: 

 ''Cerevisifnu hibmit Jiomiuvs, cetera amiu.nJin /o„/t:);(" (Men UiiDk 

 beer, the other animals water), for he disappeared rapidly imder the 

 brown waves. Singing by the accomplished presider.i of the Ridge 

 field Athletic Club and Wiune's Newbur^li Wiiistling Song with "Roll 

 the Man Down" filled up thereat of the evening.— Fernow. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS, 



F. H, W. B.— Casselton, Dakota. 



R. 0. M,— Any one of the larger calibers named in our table of last 

 week will do. 



B. A, S,, Battleboro, Tt.— Nearly all well bred beagles have very 



musical voices. 



E. T. s., Brooklyn, N. Y,— Bang Bang is owned by the Westminster 



Kennel Club, Babylon, L. I, 



W. H. B.— The iifleis pushed to make way for the newer magaaine 

 gun with a different action. 



G, S. K , Oregon — Van Dyke's book on still-bunting is a reliable 



and practical work, the best of its kind. 



Silver BuLLE'r — The YeUowstone Park Is in Wyoming and Mon- 

 tana Terricories, It contains djuo si'uare miles. 



WvoMixG, Pa. -The fact that your dcg has no known pedigree does 

 not preclude registraiiou in the Ai,ie,-iraii Kemitl Register. 



A L I)— You can probalily have vour trnu polished so that it will 

 Shoot all right. If vou are not within access of a reliable gunsmith, 

 send the arm to some of the firms .advcrusing in the Forest AND 

 STii';AM and get an opinion on it and estimate ol; cose. 



\y. L., Carlisle, Pa.— 1 would like to have a book which would give 

 a description of differeut birds and birds' eggs. Ans. We know o£ 

 no satisfactorily coinpleted wr.rir on the nests and eggs of birds. We 

 would susavst'youi- getting Gentry s ests and Eggs Of Pennsyl- 



^ IL fL.'Neyv York.— Will you Innilly iLiforin me or let me know 

 where the largest ranches' are simaieil. how njany head of cattle, 

 owners, etc. Ans. Large catrle rauccics are conlined to no particu- 

 lar section of the West. Montana, Wyrmiiug, Colorado, New Mexico, 

 Ut;'.)i and Nevada all contain them. Some companies own over 

 lOO.Olic head. 



J. T. W.. Waterbury, Vt.— 1. At what atje does a cocker spaniel 

 weighing from 15 to -ia pounds reach maturity? 2, At what age 

 should a cocker pup's tail be docked and how much should be taken 

 off, and how should It be treated? Ans. 1. At about two years. 

 When one or two \v'eeks old take off about one-ttiird. No after- 

 treatment is necessary. 



X. Y. Z , Havani. Cuba.— I send you by to-day's man a sea duck 

 about the size of a gieen teal. Please to bay to what species it be- 

 longs, Ans. The bird is a female lesser scaup duck or little black- 

 head ( Fvlix a.ffln is\. li is found throusboat North .^.merica, breeding 

 from the bora crs of the United Stales n..rlhward, and migrates as 

 far south as Central America and the West Indies in winter. 



